


Beside One Another in the Night

by tasu7



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 13:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18012068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasu7/pseuds/tasu7
Summary: “Ben?” she murmured.Based on the twitch of his head, he seemed to be aware of her presence. But he didn’t say anything, or turn around.“Are you… ok?” Rey asked after a minute of silence.Eventually, he spoke.“Why do you care?” he asked. It wasn’t in an accusatory tone. It sounded… defeated. It made Rey feel even worse for him than she had before.“Just… are you?” she asked again.Another pause.“I’m just so… tired,” he ultimately whispered.-------------------------------------------Reylo one-shot where the Force connects them at night, and Rey helps Kylo fall asleep.





	Beside One Another in the Night

It was a sharp, aching numbness on the right side of her body that woke her up. Rey began to panic, her breath becoming short. One time, on Jakku, she had been bitten by a necrobeetle in the middle of the night and woke up unable to feel her legs. Fortunately, the sensation faded by midday, but those few hours were some of the most terrifying of her life. The same feeling of dread overwhelmed her now.

Her eyes shot open, blinking rapidly while adjusting to the light streaming in from a window. Strange… she wasn’t in her AT-AT on Jakku. It didn’t smell like sand and iron. She was in an actual room…and she felt a real bed beneath her... 

Rey shook her head at herself as she realized she was in her room at the Resistance base. Her groggy brain took a moment to fully process her surroundings. The blank walls, the sharp angles of properly constructed drywall. She immediately felt her heart rate decrease in relief. She was safe in her room, in her new home.

Then why were her right leg and arm painfully numb?

She tilted her head down, only to see a giant mop of black hair resting on her shoulder.

“Bennn…” she groaned quietly.

For the past several months, the Force had been connecting them more and more. The first time they woke up and found themselves in bed together, they’d both screamed. It was shocking, after all, to wake up next to something or someone who hadn’t been there when you fell asleep. Over time, it became increasingly less surprising. At first they agreed to ignore it. Rey had been too grief-stricken over the loss of Luke and the majority of the Resistance to talk to him, and Ben seemed content to sulk. So they tried to go about their normal routines, ignoring the soft buzzing that would precede the appearance of their Force-bound partner. Sometimes they would glance at each other, but that was often the only interaction for a long time.

More often than not, she was disturbed by his restless sleep behavior when their bond joined them at night. She would wake up to him whimpering in slumber, plagued by some sort of nightmare. She’d feel him rise while it was still dark out, clearly unable to sleep. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to never truly rest. She almost felt guilty that she was able to, that he could see her achieve the sleep that he couldn’t.

And she was sleeping more often, now that the Resistance was less active. The First Order had significantly scaled back their attacks on rebels and dissenters since Ben killed Snoke, so they had fewer rescue and defense missions. For the most part, Leia was working on rebuilding Resistance troops and resources, as well as gaining support from influential systems. Rey spent half her day training, attempting to sharpen her connection to the Force, and the other half repairing ships and equipment. Often, she would be resting or reading when she would see Ben hunched over his data pad, or sitting in what must have been a meeting. He never seemed to catch a break. After a while, she got used to his presence beside her when she was in bed. When the Force disconnected them during the night and she woke up alone, a strange feeling would echo inside of her, something like loneliness.

One night, she finally confronted Ben when he appeared to her. She had been tidying her room before going to sleep, when all of a sudden he had appeared sitting on her bed, facing away from her. His head was in his hands, and he was shaking so violently that Rey wondered at first if his ship was under attack. But he just sat there. And as much as she wanted to, Rey couldn’t just ignore him. She tried to shuffle her feet a bit as she approached so that she wouldn’t startle him.

“Ben?” she murmured.

Based on the twitch of his head, he seemed to be aware of her presence. But he didn’t say anything, or turn around.

“Are you… ok?” Rey asked after a minute of silence.

Eventually, he spoke.

“Why do you care?” he asked. It wasn’t in an accusatory tone. It sounded… defeated. It made Rey feel even worse for him than she had before.

“Just… are you?” she asked again.

Another pause.

“I’m just so… tired,” he ultimately whispered.

When he finally turned to face her, Rey’s breath hitched at his appearance. Now that she was getting a closer look at him, she could see the dark, dark bags under his eyes, the sallowness of his skin. He looked... miserable. It tore at her heart a little bit, to see someone look so broken. No matter what he said, she could still see the light in him, the person that was struggling to breathe through all of the darkness with which he surrounded himself. And she pitied that part of him. But she didn’t know what to say to him. There was nothing to be said that she hadn’t told him before. About leaving the First Order, about his family, about how he could always turn back to the light.

So, she did the only thing she could think of that might help.

“Ben, you need some sleep,” she said quietly, looking at him imploringly. She now stood at the opposite side of the bed, resting her hands on the bed spread.

“I…” he muttered, turning away from her again. “It’s hard for me.”

“I know,” she said lowly, trying to send waves of understanding through the force. There had been whole years on Jakku that she couldn’t sleep. “Just… let me help.”

She had said it so softly that at first she wasn’t sure that he had heard her, but after a few moments he turned around again to look at her. His eyes seemed to scan her face, almost as if looking for any trace of deceit. 

She turned down the bed spread, unsure what the bond was showing him on his end. She hoped he would recognize the gesture.

To her surprise, he leaned down to take off his boots. She half expected him to start undressing, but instead he slipped under the covers fully clothed, looking far too exhausted to do anything else. Rey slowly walked to his side of the bed, determined not to move too suddenly. She swallowed heavily as she saw his eyes track her path around the bed. Once she reached his side, she carefully began to tuck him in. She didn’t really know what she was doing, but she had once seen a holo where a mom had done this for his son before he went to sleep, and understood that it was supposed to be comforting. Ben watched her, expressionless. 

When she was done, she couldn’t resist reaching out to rub his shoulder through the covers, soothing it gently. It was the first time they had touched through the bond since the fateful night in the hut on Ahch-To. He closed his eyes at her touch, eyelashes fluttering. Reluctantly, she drew her hand away after a few moments. She traced her steps back to her side of the bed, hoping that he would be able to at least catch a few minutes of undisturbed rest.

“Rey?” she heard from the bed.

“Yes?”

“Are you… going to sleep?”

She had been about to do so before their bond connected them, but she had decided she would attempt to read in her chair for a while to try to give him some peace and quiet in the bed.

“Please…” he said at her silence. “It feels… it’s better when you’re there. I… sleep better.”

Her heart skipped a beat at his words. After all this time, he still needed her.

“Ok,” she whispered. She too kept her clothes on as she climbed into the bed. They had seen each other in their sleep clothes countless times, and sometimes even less when connected at inopportune times, but this felt far more intimate. Sleeping next to one another, intentionally. She slipped under the covers, facing him. He had turned onto his side as well. This was the first time they had faced each other like this, and hadn’t turned toward the wall or away from the other. They were startlingly close. Rey was conscious of her breath, how close it was to rustling his hair. They were looking at each other now, each afraid to move.

Rey was once again taken aback by the depth of his vibrant brown eyes. Sometimes, in her imagination, they were black– empty voids that sucked the life out of anything they gazed upon. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ben’s eyes were rich, sparkling. They were full of multitudes, but those that shone brightest were pain, and regret. Even so, they looked at her like she was important, or worth looking at. She couldn’t look away.

“I wish you could sleep better,” she finally whispered, a strand of loose hair falling in front of her face.

Ben frowned at that. 

“It’s my own fault,” he whispered back, ever so slowly withdrawing one of his hands from under the covers. Rey watched it carefully as it made its way towards her face, but she wasn’t scared. He carefully tucked the strand of hair behind her ear, and it was the single most affectionate gesture she had ever experienced. She wanted to cry.

She shook her head as he pulled his hand away.

“Just sleep,” she said, gently grabbing his retreating hand in her own and laying them down between them on the bed. She closed her eyes, too embarrassed to watch for his reaction.

She listened to his breath for a while, waiting until it started to slow and get heavy. Then she let herself drift off to sleep, ever conscious of his hand wrapped in hers.

When she woke up the next morning, he was still lying next to her, fast asleep. His mouth was open in an adorable way, occasionally letting out a soft snore. She had never seen him so deeply asleep. They were more entangled now. Her forearm had come up to rest against his chest, and one of his feet was overlapping her calf. It was the most they had ever touched, in person or through the bond. Rey thought that the physical contact would be overwhelming, she wasn’t used to too much hugging or closeness. But this was nice, this intimacy. She felt relaxed, and certainly relieved that Ben was getting some much needed rest. As much as she wanted to hate him, she never could. He was her weakness, another broken soul that she desperately wanted to fix. She closed her eyes again, hoping to let him sleep as long as possible. When he awoke, they didn’t speak for a long time. They just layed there, looking at one another, trying to figure out what it all meant, why they were so deeply connected. Eventually, he had to get up, rubbing his stubble with his palms before sighing and lacing up his boots again. Rey got up and got ready too, just as they always did when they woke up beside each other. Eventually, the bond snapped them apart, and Rey felt rather empty without his presence near her.

Whenever the force connected them at night, they would repeat the routine. Rey would tuck Ben in before slipping into her side of the bed, and they held hands. At first, they seldom talked. The physical contact was enough to comfort them both. But after a while, she would whisper reassurances to him, that he deserved to rest, to sleep peacefully. He would apologize to her, and try to rationalize to himself what he had done. She would ask him about what he wanted for the future of the galaxy, and he would ask her for her opinions. They whispered to each other every night, discovering each other’s souls, constructing a fragile bubble around themselves, a secret world where they could escape together.

Their touch became more intimate, as well. Ben would run his thumbs over her knuckles while holding her hand. Rey would hold his hands to her chest when they were cold. They’d wake up with his arm around her back, and her face tucked into his neck. She would run her fingers through his hair, stroking his scalp as he closed his eyes and told her how he planned to dismantle Hux’s control of the First Order Army, how the destruction of whole systems had torn permanent slashes into his heart. Ben rubbed Rey’s back soothingly as she kept him updated on his mother’s health, and her mental well-being. They held each other and said nothing, just needing a comforting embrace. They would wake up with Rey curled around Ben’s back, as if protecting him from the nightmares. Rey was closer to Ben than she was to anybody, and she knew it was the same for him. She loved when he pressed gentle kisses onto her forehead when he woke up before leaving the bed, and how he didn’t complain when she accidentally stole all the covers.

Their whispers turned to murmuring, and their murmuring turned to soft laughs. Rey discovered a sense of humor that was remarkably like Han’s. He found it hilarious when she tried to explain all of the social customs she was learning from living amongst other people. She teased him for his luxurious lifestyle, and he loved to pull at her hair buns to annoy her. Their bodies were now magnets, pulling each other in during the night. No matter how close they were when they fell asleep, they were even more entangled upon waking.

“Bennn…” she groaned quietly.

He let out a snore against her shoulder, unawake and uncaring that she couldn’t feel the right side of her body. He was laying on it, smothering her arm and leg on that side. No wonder they were numb. It wasn’t the first time that their cuddling had resulted in unintended injury. Once, Rey had held onto Ben’s arm so tightly during the night that he couldn’t hold his lightsaber up for two days. She’d felt particularly bad about that one.

As much as she didn’t want to disturb him, she couldn’t very well have a whole side of her body be useless for the rest of the day. She slowly attempted to extricate herself, pulling her arm out from under them and her hip out from under this chest. She was nearly free when he grumbled and repositioned, choosing to hug her hips and lay his head across her stomach. Well, at least her arm was free. And his weight was no longer concentrated on just one leg.

She sighed, figuring she would let him rest for as long as possible until her bladder could no longer take it. She picked up her book from her nightstand and read for a while, occasionally glancing down at Ben’s peaceful face, the one whose beauty she had grown to love. He occasionally let out a snuffle into her stomach, which she couldn’t help but find endearing. He really did look much better these days, now that he got proper sleep. He no longer looked sick, and his face no longer contorted in pain while he slumbered.

As the sun rose higher and the room became more illuminated, he woke up. He seemed to slowly recognize his surroundings, taking in the brightly lit window, the material of Rey’s shirt against his face. He sighed, laying his head back down, looking at her.

“Stop,” she said laughing. “Now that you’re awake, you need to get up!”

“Why?” he whined, nuzzling her stomach.

Rey couldn't help but giggle.

“Come on, we both have work to do,” she said, trying to be firm. 

“But it’s so nice in here,” he complained, sounding far younger than he ever had before. 

Rey had to stifle her laughter, not wanting to be heard by the rest of the base laughing uncontrollably in her room by herself. 

“We’ve got a big day ahead of us,” she reminded him.

He looked back up at her, more serious now. This was they day they had planned for a long time. Ben had been strategically reducing Hux’s power more and more, and giving it to local systems and planetary defense militias. Hux was smart, but Ben was smarter. Rey had been working with Leia in secret to craft a proposal to the First Order for the creation of a Senate, along with a more complete demilitarization plan. The key to their plan was disabling Hux from striking out with military force, and the coercion of both First Order officers and governing officials from around the galaxy. Ben had worked tirelessly to sway the First Order higher-ups to his side, and away from Hux’s, right under his nose. Leia had used her political prowess to regain support from the Core, sending a rippling effect across the Mid and Outer Systems.

Today, they were all meeting in Coruscant, with Hux under the impression that he would be attending a trade meeting with a local labor union that supplied First Order weapons. Without the command of the galaxy’s largest army or a Starkiller to control, he no longer held enough power to interrupt negotiations and treaties. In fact, his position was due to fall to Captain Phasma, whom Ben had tempted with the title of General in exchange for soldier civil rights agreements. She was a strict disciplinarian, but seemed to be able to adapt to the ideals of a new government.

Rey saw the tiniest hint of a smile form at the corner of Ben’s mouth. He was remembering that he would see her in a matter of hours, in person. He used his arms to push himself up, and scooted so that he was now caging her in with his arms, his head above hers.

“Yes, we do,” he agreed seriously.

Rey ran the shell of his ear through her finger and thumb. She could tell he was nervous. Not only was he uprooting the entire galaxy’s government, but he would be confronting his mother for the first time in over 10 years. He had talked to Rey about what he wanted to say to her, about how he couldn’t figure out anything he could say that would make things ok.

“You’ll be amazing, Ben,” she reassured him simply. Because he would be.

“Rey,” he said quietly, still above her. “Whatever happens today… I… I just want you to know…that… that I’m in love you.”

Rey felt her eyes grow wide. No one had ever loved her before. She had never known what it felt like, yet she knew instantly that he was telling the truth. She felt in her bones, in her very soul. That he loved her, and she loved him in return.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, trying to keep herself from crying.

His eyes flicked down to her lips. They had never kissed before, despite how close they had gotten. Rey waited patiently as Ben seemed to make up his mind, finally leaning down to brush his lips against hers. She gasped at the electric feeling between them. She should have known that she would feel it through the force, how the kiss affected him. But she wasn’t prepared for how intense it was– the spark of love and adoration arcing across their lips. She smiled against his mouth, pressing her lips more firmly against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him further down onto her. When they pulled back for breath, Rey saw more light behind his eyes than she had ever seen before.

She could feel a tug in the Force, a subtle sensation they had both become accustomed to that preceded the severance of their connection. She smiled at him, and squeezed him one last time.

“We’ll be continuing this later,” he said lowly, with a roguish half-smile.

She let out a sigh as he disappeared, letting her arms fall on either side of her. Today was going to be a good day.


End file.
